Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said intelligence agencies had investigated reports of bugging in his office and found nothing during the probe.

Commenting on the possible breach of security in his office and that of his aides in North Block, he told reporters that "in respect of news item regarding bugging in my office, the IB investigated into it and found there is nothing in it."

The finance minister was reacting to a report in The Indian Express newspaper which said that the  finance minister had reported a "serious security breach" in his office and urged the prime minister to order a security probe.

As per the report, in September 2010, taxmen and private detectives had found 16 "planted adhesives" in the North Block offices of the finance minister and his staff which the IB said could be chewing gum. In his letter to the prime minister, the report said, Mukherjee mentioned that no "live microphone" or recording devices were found. As per the report, Mukherjee wrote to the PM three days after private investigators brought in by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) searched his offices.

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FM bugging issue: BJP says civil war on in UPA govt

The reported bugging of finance minister Pranab Mukherjee's office gave BJP a handle to allude to a "civil war" between him and home minister P Chidambaram, saying this seems to have led the former to ask for a probe by a private agency and not government sleuths.

"Today, the UPA government is completely directionless, rudderless, without leadership and apprehensive. The situation has come to such a pass that the Finance Minister suspects his office is bugged. The country wants to know who is bugging his office," BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said.

He indicated there seems to be a lack of trust between the finance minister and the home minister.

"Instead of getting the investigations into the matter done by the home ministry (under which several investigating agencies fall), the Finance Ministry had asked a private detective agency to probe," Hussain said.

He demanded details of the probe report be made public as the people want to know the facts.

"On the one hand, this government is talking to civil society (on Lokpal Bill) and on the other there is a civil war on amongst its leaders," Hussain said.

"People want to know if this government is being blackmailed (by those bugging the office)," Hussain said.

The Lok Sabha MP maintained that with some Congress leaders openly expressing that a particular party leader should become prime minister, the incumbent Manmohan Singh should make his views on this issue clear to Sonia Gandhi.

BJP vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi termed the reported bugging of the finance minister's office a "serious" issue especially as it has occurred at a time when several high-profile cases of financial scam have come to light.

"It is a serious matter. If what has come to light is true, then it needs to be investigated. This has come at a time when there are so many cases of financial irregularities and scam," Naqvi said.

He wondered who could be behind such an act and alluded to somebody in government having an interest in bugging the finance minister's office.

"Pranab Mukherjee is no. 2 in the cabinet. Who is bugging its own ministers? It needs to be investigated. This raises a lot of disturbing questions," Naqvi said.